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Aug 24, 2026, 5:07 PM

The Lessons of the Altalena for Israel in 2026

The Altalena burning off the coast of Tel Aviv in 1948. Photo ©️ GPO, 2026

News of the rediscovery of the Altalena was headline news across Israel this week. Seventy-eight years ago, as the Altalena burned on the beachfront of Tel Aviv, the Jewish people were poised on the brink of civil war. In today’s polarizing times,...

Aug 23, 2026, 2:33 PM

Shaving my son’s hair

When he was little, he cried in protest while I cut his hair. This time, he asked for another round with the electric razor – and the tears were mine

Andy Blumenthal

Aug 22, 2026, 11:37 AM

The Work of Living After October 7

ALS scares me. So does terrorism. Both force us to confront how suddenly life can change. I did not come to Tuesdays with Morrie as someone revisiting an old favorite. I came to it after October 7, carrying questions I...

Aug 22, 2026, 11:20 AM

Why Hold Israel to a Higher Standard

Photograph of landscape in ruins (iStock/Emanuel Acosta)

Israel is an opportunity and liability for Jews **** Jews understandably get more than a little upset that every way we turn, someone is accusing Israel of being the devil of the earth. In response to Hamas’s unprecedented and horrific October 7...

Aug 22, 2026, 11:17 AM

Inches to Metric: Merkaz Lavi – PTSD/PTG (Post Traumatic Growth) #2

Merkaz Lavi-PTSD center.

The Magic in Reality I wrote a prior blog Merkaz Lavi (click), explaining why/how we got involved in creating our center, and issues regarding PTSD. This dives deeper into how we went about creating/manifesting Merkaz Lavi. Manifesting! What does it take...

Aug 21, 2026, 9:54 PM

Those Were The Days My Friend

“Mordechai, have you read the article in the New York Times accusing Israeli soldiers of raping Palestinians? Moshe asked. It’s so bad that Bibi is planning on suing the Times for libel, and other Israeli politicians are ordering their...

Menachem Rosensaft

Aug 20, 2026, 8:35 PM

Drawing numbers on Palestinian detainees? What were they thinking?

A Palestinian marked by IDF soldiers during a raid of the northern West Bank village of Qabatiya on August 17, 2026. (Screen capture/X)

Whatever the soldiers’ intent, reducing anyone numbers is dehumanizing — and ‘lessons were learned’ is no longer an adequate response

Aug 20, 2026, 12:12 PM

Those Who Stand Guard To Protect Our Home

Yesterday, we went out with family and had breakfast at Aroma Café. Many of you who have been to Israel probably know it—it’s such a familiar, very Israeli place. While we were ordering, I noticed the soldiers around us. Some...

Aug 19, 2026, 10:41 PM

A New Level of Becoming Israeli

Becoming Israeli is the greatest thing I've ever done – I literally wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Shortly after my wife and I made aliyah in 2004 I started blogging about our experience of radically changing our...

Stephen M. Flatow

Aug 18, 2026, 6:03 PM

In Israel, a missing soldier is everyone’s son

The search for an IDF soldier, Yehuda Katz, missing since the 1982 First Lebanon War, reflects a commitment that is deeply Israeli – and deeply Jewish

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